Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs within Lord of the Flies Essay about book: Lord of the Flies by: William Golding

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs within Lord of the Flies Essay about book: Lord of the Flies by: William Golding

1495 WordsDec 11th, 20046 Pages

Abraham Maslow formulated a theory of a hierarchy of needs, stating that he believed that human beings are motivated by unsatisfied or incomplete needs. In his theory there are five levels of certain needs in which lower needs need to be satisfied before higher needs can be achieved. The five needs are physiological, safety, love, esteem, and self-actualization. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs applies to many of the characters in Lord of the Flies, such as Piggy, Ralph, and Jack, and shows how they are affected when their needs are unsatisfied.

The lowest and basic need of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is physiological needs, which are the necessity of air, water, food, sleep, and shelter. Throughout the novel, the majority of the boys acquired…show more content…

If they did not want to belong, they would have stayed off by themselves or not have joined in on the meeting. All of the main characters achieved this need, although Jack was unhappy with his role in the group and was trying to find ways of gaining more respect throughout the novel.

The fourth need of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is esteem, which is the mastery of a task and also receiving attention and recognition from others, or the need for power. A prime example of this need being fulfilled is when Jack forms his own tribe and made him self the leader not only because he was power hungry, but because he could not stand the fact the Ralph was chosen chief and was getting all the attention. Jack also found something that he was skilled at. His skill was hunting. Jack used his skill and found it valuable to win over the other kids on the island to assemble a new group and make him the leader of it. After some time and much conflict Jack had every person on the island under his command or killed them. The only exception to this was Ralph who scarcely evaded a similar fate. Piggy never achieves the goal of esteem because he is not appreciated for his intellect and wisdom which he offers the boys in times of need. Since Piggy never exceeded this need, his personality suffered and he has a very weak personality, and was easily bullied and pushed around. Simon, another main character, never achieved the need

Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Lord of the flies was written by William Golding in 1954. It is an
enthralling, book that explores the concept of the behaviour of man
when he is exempt from society. Golding achieves this by stranding a
group of British schoolboys on a secluded island, in the midst of a
war. Throughout this period the boys evolve from being civilised and
let savagery take over.
This book is well written and effectively presents the theme of the
story: the evil that…

William Golding explores the vulnerability of society in a way that can be read on many different levels. A less detailed look at the book, Lord of the Flies, is a simple fable about boys stranded on an island. Another way to comprehend the book is as a statement about mans inner savage and reverting to a primitive state without societies boundaries. By examining the Lord of the Flies further, it is revealed that many themes portray Golding’s views, including a religious persecution theme.
Golding…

as easily as it is created. Without the walls of society, humans are capable of committing actions that they would have never thought possible. Lord of the Flies focuses on a group of boys who are alone on an island without authority. The novel reveals what can become of humanity without the presence of authority. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the protagonist Ralph symbolizes leadership, civilization, as well as the loss of innocence. Ralph is the closest resemblance to authority that…

Life in itself is a power struggle whether you realize it or not. Just think about it, in the work place some employees work hard, but than other employees rise to do better than those employees. Everyone pursues power because it is the ability to influence or control the behavior of a group of people. Even the smallest dose of this power can change a person. For example, getting a promotion or a gaining a bit of fame and then, suddenly, they change their attitude toward their friends, family, and…

Lord of the Flies “is both a story with a message” and “a great tale of adventure”. The novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding is an allegorical novel representing what the world was like during World War II. The novel is about a group of boys who survive a plane crash during the Blitzkrieg. The boys are stranded on an island and must find a way to survive until they are rescued. Most of the characters do not even know each other before the crash happens. As the novel progresses, the characters…

Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a classic novel and portrays just how the society surrounding us can corrupt our once pure nature No one is born a killer, no one is born with an intense compulsion to kill, the island that the boys are stranded on has a very unusual, corrupting society; A society that erodes the boys innocence through the power struggle between Jack and Ralph, readers see the transfer from innocent to savagely through the hunting and Piggy’s death.
Innocence is quickly…

William Golding, the creator of the book Lord of the Flies describes evil as a trait we are born with and learn to control it, while another man by the name of Jean-Jacques Rousseau thought of the opposite whereas we are born good, but the world and society around us change us to doing evil things, but what is considered evil? The one who decides what is evil and what is not is not just one man or women alone, it is decided as a community, and this description of evil seems to fit Rousseau’s beliefs…

The English novelist William Golding often reflects on the common theme of man’s savagery and inability to avoid one’s evil and primitive nature. Man often tries to avoid this return to a basic state just like the boys in Lord of the Flies: “We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages. We're English, and the English are best at everything” (40). One cannot escape the inevitable however as seen in Golding’s next novel, The Inheritors: “They killed Nil and threw her into the…

The Beelzebub within Mankind…
“He [Jack] began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling”(58). In the novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding illustrates that there is an inner beast within everybody but society just covers it up. The novel takes place on an island where a group of young British school boys are stranded and are willing to do whatever it takes to survive, from killing pigs to even killing each other. The boys start off as being very civilized but then become more…

For this essay, I will be discussing two particular themes from a novel called Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Lord of the Flies was written in 1954 after World War II. Ruler of the Flies is a purposeful anecdote about something that many readers can’t really describe. Individuals can't choose precisely what. It's either about the inalienable underhanded of man, or mental battle, or religion, or personal inclination, or the creator's emotions on war; however William Golding was in the Navy…